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Kanban for interior designers: projects, suppliers and client sign-offs

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Axtio Team
October 6, 2026 ยท 3 min read

Interior design projects are long, layered and full of other people. Clients approve concepts, mood boards and budgets. Suppliers confirm stock and lead times. Contractors schedule installs. A single delayed sofa can push a whole room, and a client who has not signed off on fabric can hold up an order for weeks.

A 2D board keeps every project's dependencies in one view.

One row per project

Each client project is a row: "Harris kitchen", "Studio office fit-out". For large projects, use one row per room or phase.

Columns for who has the ball

  • Mine: concepts, drawings, specifications, orders to place.
  • Other: client approvals, supplier confirmations, contractor dates, quotes.
  • Next: work queued after current approvals.
  • Done: complete.

Most delays sit in Other. A client sign-off waiting ten days, a supplier who has not confirmed a delivery date, a contractor quote that has not arrived. In Axtio, those actions turn red after a week in Other so they get chased. See how to track approvals.

Track lead times explicitly

When you order something with a long lead time, add an action in Other: "Supplier X: confirm delivery date for dining chairs". When the date arrives, move it to Next as "Check delivery of dining chairs, 18 Jan". Long lead items are the biggest risk to a finish date.

Make sign-offs specific

Vague approvals cause rework. Each sign-off action should name what is being approved: "Client: approve fabric samples A and C for living room". When it comes back, record the decision and move on.

Holiday deadlines

Many clients want rooms finished before the holidays, and suppliers slow down in December. Review every project's Other column in early November and chase anything that could miss a pre-holiday install. See how to hand off projects before the holidays.

One screen across all clients

The real value is seeing every project at once. On Monday morning, scan the board: which projects are waiting on you, and which on others? For similar trade workflows, see Kanban for architects and Kanban for construction project managers.